Willow Tit: Nest & eggs

Unlike most other tits, the Willow Tit excavates its own nest cavity, which makes the species dependent on dead wood in the forest.

• Nest site: a self-excavated hole in rotten wood — in a stump, a fallen log or a dead deciduous tree such as birch or alder.
• Builder: the pair works the cavity out of soft, decayed wood and the female lines the nest.
• Nest box: the Willow Tit rarely takes ordinary nest boxes, as it prefers to create the nest itself.

The dependence on decaying trees is an important reason why the species is declining in the landscape of modern forestry.

More about the Willow Tit

• Song & calls
• Breeding
• Diet
• In winter